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I apologize for forgetting to take “step by step” pics during the sewing of the 36 blocks but well I was in a zone.

I remembered about pictures truly as I was pinning the final blocks to the wall. Since the quilt is basically 4 wall hangings put together as a bed size quilt I am dividing all the blocks in this manner. This actually helps make sure that the quilt is balanced in colors and light/dark. So 4 columns of 9 blocks each.

As you can see scrappy rules at this time. But I will be using a few fabrics as constants to give some continuity to the quilt.

I call this “Stable Scrappy”. 🙂

This is what my design wall looks like with all 36 Collaboration Star Blocks sewn.

I breezed thru the background blocks for the Boomer Rosettes (tomorrows post) and I started laying out one “wall hanging” on the design wall.

I am loving this.

I hope you are too.

Tomorrow I will share the Pieced Hexie BOOMER Rosettes.

But in the mean time I started making the 240 half square triangles I need for the setting blocks.

The green fabric will be used on all. That is one of the constants.

Bonnie and I are going to start taking preorders for Ring Around The Hexies Pattern Booklet (16 pages) on Monday, Sept 23rd.

Now that Ring Around the Hexies booklet (16 pages) is off to the printers. And I have the next copy of Pieced Hexies in the hands of my editor. (Special Note: BOOMER the Pieced Hexie design used in Ring Around the Hexies was originally to make it’s debut in the next Pieced Hexies Book. I have since pulled this design from the book and replaced it with another. Yes a whole set of samples was furiously made, the graphics drawn, and wordage written in just 5 days when I came home from North Carolina.

Let’s just say the last two weeks of August I really don’t remember…LOL.

But I had decided at the retreat that I was going to make a bed size version of Ring Around the Hexies. The original timetable I had in my mind was “over this winter”. But then the booklet was born and I have been sewing like a mad woman to make at least the top in time for Market in October.

The full size version is truly just 4 wall hangings sewing together 4 patch style. But I plan to show some “recoloring” in my rendition.

Since at the time I thought I was going to be off to Madison Wisconsin to Quilt Expo for two nights (hotel room sewing retreat with a friend) I cut and packaged up all the makings of the 36 pieced Collaboration Star blocks.

Then life happened and I couldn’t go. But having everything cut and packaged did make the sewing part extremely easy and quick. Did I mention that my rendition is going to be done using Civil War Repros. And Semi-Scrappy in style. Just for the blocks alone I used over 200 different fabrics. Yes the Civil War Repro stash runs deep.

Each block has 4 – 4patches in the corner. Each 4 patch in my version is made using 4 different fabrics. 2 lights and 2 darks. So just in 4 patches we have 144 different fabrics. (all these numbers make the math geek part of me happy)

I announced the winners of the Mystery Giveaway this morning on my facebook page.

That page is Pieced Hexies with Mickey Depre.

The winners are Michele Hellman and Beth Cates!

Now what exactly did they win…..

….well I had hoped to be able to share with you the cover of their prize but unfortunately there is still a little more tweeking going on at with the publisher….but I can TELL you about it.

The quilt pattern that Bonnie Hunter and I taught last month at our Celebration Collaboration Retreat

is now available in pattern booklet form16 pages).

….or it will be available in mid October.

We got all of your emails/fbook messages the week after the retreat and well it has been a whirlwind to say the least. But our awesome publisher, KCStar, turned it into a booklet in less than 15 days from our initial email to them!

The quilt pattern has been officially named “Ring Around The Hexie”. And this pattern (and future pattern booklets) will carry the “Celebration Collaboration” subtitle when Bonnie and I work together.

( we are dreaming up something new already).

The booklet will have instructions on a brand new Pieced Hexie design called BOOMER and will be on the only place you can find this Pieced Hexie Design. And for those who love the templates for marking alignment guides…YES! There will be a template available!

We are releasing the booklet for pre-orders on our individual websites next Monday, September 23rd. And I am going to leave future details for later posts this week.

Because while the pattern was created and taught as the wall hanging you see here, well I am busy making four such wall hangings for a bed size quilt to show the diversity!

Starting tomorrow I will post blogs showing my progress. I have done some work and I am about halfway done. I hope to have the entire quilt top done next week to share.

Finally, I can share something I am working on. So much is going on behind the scenes that I have an actual list on my desk so I can keep track.

Another biggie is obvious. The moving of my blog to the front of my website. And my whole new website. More about the new website and my awesome webmaster also later this week. I am now officially in the “learning curve” stage of this. And so much to update. Good thing I am home for two weeks! Ready, Set, GO!

Finally I am behind George and quilting away. There is a stack of 6 (maybe 8) tops on the studio counter and I hope to have them all done by Dec 17th when the kiddos are home for what will be their last Christmas Break ever.

Oh my…I can’t believe they are seniors in college and this is it. Most likely one if not both may not even be in the country at this time next year. But that is for another blog.

So first out of the chute for quilting is an antique quilt top that I acquired this summer.

When I buy a quilt top (or blocks) they have to be special to me. And this one caught my eye first because I had never seen the pattern before and second because of the truly scrappiness of it in all it’s 30s glory.

I searched and searched, even threw images up on facebook and it seems no one has a name or source for this block.

So I decided to call it “Molly Paws” after you know who. My antique quilt tops are usually labeled with the name “ANTIQUE – (block name)” once I quilt them so it needed a name for reference.

Then I decided this block needed to live on. In studying the quilt I determined that English Paper Piecing would be the best way to replicate this block with all it’s curves and funky spikes.

Here is my replication done in fun bright fabrics!

And if you wish to purchase the pattern you can do so here on the Craftsy page. I will be putting all my PDF patterns here as I love Craftsy and their format. Plus I will be shooting a Craftsy workshop of my own in late January so nice to have everything in one place.

Molly Paws will also be a new 6 hour workshop that I will be adding to my offerings in my usual first week of January update. But if your guild wishes to book me now know that all workshop selections can be changed up to 6 months prior to my arrival.

Now I am back to the studio. Paul helped me last night with putting the next top together with batting and backing so away I go.

It’s time for some quilting fun this Fall. Over 15 weeks, 45 designers will create 12″ blocks for the Glorious Autumn Quilter’s Block Party. These blocks will be featured, three per week, on the Quilting Gallery site starting September 4th.

If you haven’t notice the Glorious Autumn Block Party info on the side bar well today is the day for my block!

Here it is!

Turning Autumn

The Quilting Gallery website is the host of this fun event. The link will take you to their website and all the other Autumn Designer Blocks! There are

You can find my designer profile, a Quilters Super Deal, and the tutorial to make this block here!

For those who are Facebook Buds remember back in early Sept I posted a bundle of fabric that I was oohing and ahhhing over. It was the Deco by Jason Yenter for In The Beginning Fabrics line that has just been released and will be finding it’s way to your local quilt shop shelves any day now. Well I took some of those yummy small prints (which by the way are wonderful for hexies too!) and played with some stash fabric and came up with “Blueberry Spice”. OK I know I know…48 pieces in each block…yipes! What can I say I was in a groove. The pattern can be made for a wall hanging. (Hanging right now over my TV!) or a table topper (I think these colors are a fresh twist on Thanksgiving!)and you can make FOUR and put them together for a lap quilt…or 9 and go full size!The pattern can be found here on the Fairfield site. It is FREE! ENJOY!

And all are to be kept under wraps.…..well not all…. so finally I have something to share.

I have teamed up with Quilting on the Square in Holton Kansas to design a Block of the Month Quilt. Last May during my visit Mark & Mary (owners) planted the seed of an idea and in June I sat down and designed “Moxie Girl”.

Last week I few out and spent 3 days with Mary, Connie, Becky & Jo pulling fabrics, auditioning fabrics, and sewing…sewing…sewing. It was a lot of work but it was fun. And watching Moxie Girl come together was thrilling for me.

The first colorway (I have been told there will be 3) started off with Mary suggesting a lovely orangey yellow Kaffe fabric. It is understated and to me it just screams a 40’s bark cloth print. And that was exactly what I had in mind.

Pair it up with a yellow polka dot, another Kaffe, some civil war prints, throw in some traditionals and a dash of batik, shake well and you have “Moxie Girl!”.

Moxie? you ask what does Moxie mean?

Yes there is an east coast soda named Moxie…but we are thinking attitude.

Moxie is a slang word from the 30s that means adventurous, pep, vigor, backbone, grit, guts, gumption…..you get the picture.

We were so excited by what was coming together in front of us that Mary caved (we love ya Mary!) and said go ahead and share. I couldn’t hit the send button fast enough on my phone and put up a sneak peak pic on my facebook page. (note we have since changed the center fabric choice)

And then I went to bed. And when I woke up my fb inbox was jammed with inquires about Moxie Girl. Apparently it was well received.

Here are a few more sneak peaks.

This quilt combines Pieced Hexies, Paper Pieced Hexies, traditional piecework and paper piecing and either machine or hand applique (your choice and easy peasy shapes). It has everything in it in small amounts so it will be a lot of fun as a BOM project as each month will be an adventure. Kinda “Moxie-ish”?

I designed the spikey paper pieced hexie and Mary designed the rose colored paper pieced hexie…so this is truly a joint designed quilt!

The borders are being worked on as I type and hopefully we will have a completed quilt up for you in a week or so on the Quilting on the Square website. Mary has set up a page for Moxie Girl under the BOM section and if you want to get in on the information email blasts that will go out alerting you to new colorways posted, cost start date etc. then fill out the form on the page. You can bypass the credit card info by simply hitting pay by check. There is NO CHARGE this is simply for information there is NO OBLIGATION.

Today I will be quilting another secret project…who knows what might be released to my FB friends over the weekend….

p.s. I never did get back to the Hexie House in Holton with a book…I most definitely will on my next visit…which I suspect will be sooner rather than later!

p.p.s. You can always find out what I am hexing on my Facebook Fan Page “Pieced Hexies with Mickey Depre” come join us!

It is based on my pattern Wildflowers. I have always been a bit reluctant to teach a “pattern” workshop as I really want students to take my patterns and make them their own. I am all about that. I often worried that students would not want to do this in a workshop setting.

But as I become more and more comfortable with showing my “traditional quilt” side I am also realizing that my students do take these traditional quilt patterns and run with them.

This makes my heart sing.

I taught this workshop for the Arkansas Quilters Guild/ Little Rock, AR in February.

I met Eddie & Melissa.

Eddie and Melissa are a great “husband and wife” team of quilters and couldn’t be more different in their styles. They entered the classroom and quickly set up shop. They were old pros and Eddie I hear makes many many quilts from Melissa. I like this guy.

Melissa pulled out her fabric….great bright prints full of stripes and polka dots.

Eddie laid his fabric out. A very unusual color way of Civil War pack of prints and said “I’m going to use these Mickey…what do you think?”

“What do I think?” “I can’t wait to see it happen” I tell him. It will be wonderful!

This pattern can be made in all different styles of fabric. In fact if you have the pattern, open it up and you will find two more samples inside or you can see them on my website on the workshop page. (scroll down to the 6hr workshops…second one)

A few weeks after the workshop I received an email from Eddie with this pic. Yes it’s been awhile since I received it. But I have been very busy with the book and stuff. I immediately asked Eddie for permission to share it with all of you and he said YES!